KitKat

The Sony Z Ultra Google Play Edition is undoubtedly the most unique form factor in Google's collection of Nexus and Nexus-like devices today. What we've gotten out of it so far is just that - if you're looking for a replacement for a device you've got in your pocket already, something that's just an upgrade from a large smartphone you've had in the past, this isn't it. Instead you've got a device that's massively solid and feels like a whole new generation in in-between greatness.

HTC has pulled back the curtain on Android updates, launching a new site detailing each stage of the OS upgrade process in the hope of minimizing complaints about software fragmentation. The new site, promising "transparency", not only shows the status of HTC's current devices and what Android version they're running, but comprehensively details the full rigamarole each new release must go through before it can arrive on owners' phones.

Motorola has released Android 4.4.2 KitKat for the Moto G, surprising users with an early upgrade for the mid-range smartphone. The company had previously promised to begin its KitKat update program sometime by early 2014, but got in on the game early with the surprise best-seller Moto G.

This week the roll-out to the 2013 line of DROID devices begins with the DROID Ultra, the DROID Maxx, and the DROID Mini. Believe it or not, Motorola appears to have scored updates to the newest wave of Android updates well before some of the more massive devices like the Samsung Galaxy S4 or the HTC One (the non-GPE versions), doing it on Verizon no less! If you were surprised that the Verizon version of the Moto X received Android 4.4 KitKat already, you'll be busting out at this push, that's for certain.

This week Google sprang a couple of devices on the public with little to no leaks or warnings, incredibly so, with the LG G Pad 8.3 Google Play Edition bringing up the tablet front. This device has landed on SlashGear's review bench this week complete with a standard AOSP build of Android inside, rolling with Android 4.4 KitKat to boot. You'll find this machine working with a cool 8.3-inch display with a 1920 x 1200 pixel resolution up front and a full metal jacket (aluminum, that is) around its back.

This week the folks responsible for socking the Google Play store with the latest and greatest in Android devices have added another LG and a brand new Sony device to their ranks. What you'll find is both the massiveness of what was called (earlier this year) the Xperia Z Ultra as well as the LG G Pad 8.3, both of them being released with "Google Play Edition" on their box. These devices will be released in a manner not unlike that of the Google Play Editions of the HTC One and Samsung Galaxy S4.

There's a new tablet appearing soon from Google called the LG G Pad 8.3 Google Play Edition, the first tablet to enter this arena of "Nexus" devices. This isn't the first time a device has been released with a more "pure" version of Android - we've got the Nexus 7 and 10, after all, but it is the first time Google has worked with a manufacturer for a tablet to be released the same way the HTC One and Samsung Galaxy S4 Google Play Editions where. This machine will otherwise work with the same specifications as the original LG G Pad 8.3, for the most part.

The Moto G is a smartphone the whole tech community has wishing for and waiting on for ages. It's a low-cost smartphone with hardware and software to back up its ability to be a contender in many markets - but more than that, it's also got the backing it needs to succeed. With the power of brand recognition in Motorola and Android and the push for success on a global scale from the manufacturer's parent company Google.

Apple's iOS 7 continues to outpace iOS 6 in terms of device upgrades, new research has indicated, with more than 70-percent of devices in North America now running the latest platform, as Android 4.4 KitKat makes its tentative first appearance in the Google breakdown charts. iPhone users have been a little more keen to update than their iPad counterparts (74.1-percent versus 63.8-percent) according to Chitika, with the prediction that iOS 7 will "continue to substantially outpace iOS 6 adoption" moving forward.

The hip thing for hardware brands to announce this week appears to be their schedule for updating their smartphones to Android 4.4 KitKat, and LG is aboard right alongside the rest with its G2 for Q1 2014. The LG G2 is the current hero smartphone for the company, with the curved LG G Flex coming in only slightly more recently. The LG G2 has ben pegged for the month of March inside 2014 for a full upgrade to Android 4.4 KitKat, to be precise.

In the creation of the newest version of Google's mobile operating system Android 4.4 KitKat, the developers responsible for testing it did so on modified Nexus 4 devices. One key element in the creation of the full feature set of Android 4.4 KitKat was "Project Svelte", a name for a goal that was to bring the software to any device running a mere 512MB of RAM. To create a system that worked this way, Android developers didn't go out and grab a 512MB smartphone, they crippled their Nexus 4 devices to do the work instead.

This week there's word on the expected range of dates for the Android 4.4 KitKat software update for the current and second-most recent set of Samsung Galaxy smartphones, including the Galaxy S III, Galaxy S4, and Galaxy Notes. This tip suggests that models GT-I9500, SM-N900, GT-I9300, and SM-N7100 will all be updated to Android 4.4 KitKat inside of 2014, with the newest set of devices seeing this update inside of January.